Scanning electron microscopy study of guard hair of three Indian pteropodid bats

摘要

A comparative study on the hair microstructure of pteropodid bats Pteropus giganteus, Rousettus leschenaulti, and Cynopterus sphinx was performed using scanning electron microscope. Hair samples were taken from the dorsal, ventral, and neck regions. Among the three pteropodids examined, an imbricate and tightly appressed hair type was observed in P. giganteus, while a coronal type of cuticle with margins diverging from the shaft was observed in R. leschenaulti and C. sphinx. The coronal cuticles of R. leschenaulti and C. sphinx had relatively thinner scale widths than the imbricate cuticles of P. giganteus. There was a significant difference in hair length, scale lengths and scale widths, and scale indices among the three species of fruit bats. However, there was no significant difference in hair length and scale index of male and female R. leschenaulti as well as in hair length and scale indices of male and female C. sphinx. The presence of bell-shaped coronal cuticle and wide angular scale margin in R. leschenaulti and C. sphinx reveal their role as active pollinators. The hair patterns, hair length, scale length and width confirm the presence of species-specific characteristics of pteropodid bats and can be used for species identification.